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In Blue, I Bloom

Summary:

“But he’s the biggest reason why you’re deciding this,” Ricky says with a knowing look. “And I get it, really. I see the way you look at him, ge. You look at him with a lot of trust.” He pauses, his eyes going softer. “...you let him in. I haven’t seen you do that with anyone in a while.” Hao sighs softly, swirling the tea in his cup.

“Because he really saw me. Not just as some idol that was betrayed by the industry. He just saw me as…me. As a human being with vulnerable emotions,” he says softly. “He never pressured me to be someone I didn’t want to be…He just stayed with me patiently.”

Ricky watches him for a moment as the silence between them stretches comfortably. “You really must like him a lot,” he finally says. Hao doesn’t respond right away, but the soft smile that graces his lips gives a clear answer.

“I do,” he finally admits.

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After Hao quits his idol life in China, he comes to Korea to get away from his fallen career. There he meets Hanbin, the leader of rookie group BLUE ROZE, who helps Hao fall in love with being on stage again…and also fall in love with him too.

Notes:

Thank you for opening to read this! The idea of Idol!Hanbin x FormerIdol!Hao has actually been in my mind for a while, and was originally supposed to be a social media au. But I'm glad to have had the opportunity to write this all out, and I'm so proud of how it turned out so far!

I want to give thanks to bunny for being the best beta reader once again! Fun fact: they actually left like 192 comments on my draft that I sifted through during my stats lecture LMAO. Thank you so much again bunny!

I also want to give credits to season for helping with the Mandarin that will be used throughout this fic.

And most importantly, thank you to my paired artist kuwi for the amazing art piece used in the twitter post for this fic. Make sure to give her lots of love!

And BIG thanks to the Zerose Minibang staff who put this all together!

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter Text

March 17, 2025

 

Hello, this is YH Entertainment. We would like to address the future activities of artist Zhang Hao under our company.

Up until today, we have held numerous discussions with Zhang Hao on what it means to be an artist affiliated with our company, and despite our discussions with Zhang Hao, he has refused to work on an agreement with our company, and therefore, we made the ultimate decision to conclude our affiliation with Zhang Hao.

Despite the news, we would like to express our gratitude to all ROSINS who have supported Zhang Hao and our company since the beginning. Since his debut in 2022, Zhang Hao has gained both national and international recognition and popularity and we appreciate all the accomplishments he has completed while under our company. We hope you can continue to support our company and our artists as well as Zhang Hao’s future path.

 

Thank You

 

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h.🔒(@hahanneul)

should have burned the building down while I was there, fuck you YH

 

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Zhang Hao scoffs as he shuts off his phone, instead opting to look out of the long glass windows of the airport as crowds of people walk by. It hasn’t fully been 48 hours yet since Hao decided to leave his career in China and his company is already trying to do damage control by attempting to smear his reputation. YH Ent. stop bothering me challenge: failed , he thinks. He hasn’t dared look at any of the comments under the post. Positive or not, he really doesn’t want to read the fans’ responses at the moment.

He was NOT terminated — at least not how his company claims he was. He had left at his own discretion, a choice that he’s been debating long before his departure almost a full day ago. He was tired, burnt out, and utterly disgusted with how the entertainment industry treated its artists and celebrities. His last straw was the PR stunt his company tried to pull to expand his popularity, as if he wasn’t already loved by everyone around the world.They wanted him involved in a dating scandal with a well-known actress, hoping to boost his reputation. When Hao first heard the plan, he was outraged — first of all, dating in the idol world, no matter what, was bound to cause problems. It doesn’t matter how popular they were, or how much chemistry they have, there would always be delusional fans who complained, caused problems, and tried to drag down their reputation. Second of all, he was NOT a straight man. He never came out to the public, but he knew that the majority of his fans already got the hint. 

He refused; he was not about to lie to the whole world that he was dating a popular actress, no matter how sweet she is. It was even worse that they wanted him to do it just for popularity. However, the company still pushed him, insisting that it would help in the long run, that the popularity he would gain would help improve his numbers. He grew tired of the pressure, and in the end, he decided to step away from the spotlight. He was done with the industry — at least, for the moment. He’s not sure when he’ll come back, if he ever will, but he’s satisfied with leaving for now.

After quitting, he didn’t want to stay in China, where the reminder of his fallen career lingered around every corner. Now he’s here, in Korea, waiting at the airport for his ride. He’s not sure why he chose Korea of all places to move to. He could have chosen to go back to Paris, the city he adored the most outside of his home country, or could have gone to LA where he said the weather was perfect for him.

 But it’s perhaps because of the familial ties he has here in Seoul.

“Gege!” A familiar voice calls for him, and Hao smiles immediately as he looks up from his lap to the person standing a few feet from him. Even with designer sunglasses over his eyes and a mask that mostly covers his face, Hao still easily recognizes the symbolic tattoo that’s displayed on the side of his neck. 

Shen Quanrui, or Ricky as he’s known in Korea – Hao’s cousin and a rising model — walks towards him with confident steps, looking effortlessly cool even as multiple people pass by and fans begin to crowd around, snapping pictures. The moment he’s close enough to Hao, though, he takes off his sunglasses and pulls Hao into a tight hug. Hao melts into the embrace quickly, allowing himself to finally stop pretending to hold himself together. He breathes in the familiar scent of his cousin’s cologne and feels the storm in his chest start to settle.

“Oh Ricky,” he sighs into the younger boy’s shoulder. “I’m so happy to see you again.”

Ricky laughs, “I’m glad to see you too, ge.” Hao smiles as he pulls away and finally takes a better look at Ricky’s outfit, all black and topped off with a long overcoat. Hao lets out a giggle.

“You look…so emo, right now,” he teases, the tension that was once in his body melting away the longer he’s around a familiar face. 

Even with his glasses on, Hao can tell when Ricky playfully rolls his eyes.“You shouldn’t be talking,” Ricky says, nodding at his appearance. “You look rough. We need to get you home and taken care of right away. You’re a star, you’re not meant to look so…run down.”

Was a star,” Hao corrects as he takes hold of his suitcase handle. Ricky’s eyes seem to soften slightly at Hao’s words and he nods, leading Hao through the crowd of fans to his sleek black van outside of the airport. 

The car ride starts off silent. It isn’t uncomfortable or awkward, rather, it’s something he hadn’t known he needed. It’s peaceful, giving Hao the time to organize his thoughts again before he talks about anything else.

Hao is first to break the silence half an hour later. “So, Quanrui…how have you been?” he asks, looking over at his cousin. 

Ricky’s lips quirk up into a small smirk. “I should be the one asking you that, ge,” he replies smoothly. “How have you been?” The car goes silent again as Hao slouches in his seat slightly, sighing softly.

“I could be better, obviously,” Hao mumbles after a bit.

“Oh I bet,” Ricky says. “Those stupid bastards. I saw the articles. How could they thank you for all your accomplishments and then proceed to basically say you were uncooperative?” 

Hao shrugs, “Ugh, I don’t know. They’ve always been assholes anyways, but I don’t care anymore. Now that I’m not with the company I feel a bit… lighter .” 

Ricky nods in approval as they arrive at the garage for Ricky’s condo. “I’m happy you’re standing up for yourself and your morals, Hao-ge. Even if it ended up costing everything that you built,” he replies, helping Hao get his suitcases out of the car. “I have a spare room that you can use. Really ge, you shouldn’t worry too much about it anymore. You’re free to do whatever you desire now.” 

Hao smiles as they step into the elevator, grateful for the support. The doors to the elevator close with a soft ding as Ricky presses the button to the 9th floor. Hao sighs and leans against the mirror-like walls. “You know, it doesn’t feel like freedom just yet,” he admits softly. “It feels…like something’s missing in my life now. Probably because I was just so used to a certain routine.”

“Or maybe because you were forced to fight so long. You forgot what peace really feels like,” Ricky says sincerely, catching Hao off guard by the genuine tone.

“Since when did you get all poetic and philosophical?”

“Living alone does that sometimes; it makes you reflect on things,” Ricky admits, chuckling softly as the elevator dings, reaching the floor to the younger’s condo. “I cleared out the second bedroom this morning for you. Everything in there is new — the sheets are freshly washed too. Settle in however you want, it’ll be your home for a while,” Ricky says with a small smile as he unlocks the door to his home. 

Hao follows him in, taking in the new surroundings. It was cozy, yet stylish — very fitting for someone like Ricky. Hao takes a deep breath in and his nose is hit with the subtle scent of something between floral and fruity — later realizing the scent to be what Ricky calls ‘Champagne Toast’ the longer he smells the air. 

Hao hums, setting his luggage down, “Thank you. For everything, you really didn’t have to do all of this, you know?” 

Ricky only shrugs as he helps his cousin move his suitcase to the room. “You’re literally family. It’s the least I could do.”

“But I didn’t ask…”

“You could have shown up with no warnings and I’d still throw open the door for you,” Ricky half-jokes. “That’s how it’s always going to be.” Hao gives Ricky a weak smile, his eyes watering for what was probably the hundredth time that day. He follows Ricky into the guest bedroom, watching as his cousin puts down the suitcases and fluffs up one of the pillows on the bed. A lump starts to form at his throat and his nose stings as he tries to keep his emotions at bay.

“Thank you,” Hao says again, quieter this time. “I didn’t realize how much I really needed someone to just…be there.” Hao clears his throat. “For me,” he clarifies, swallowing down his sudden emotions.

Ricky looks up from his task and grins a little. “Well…you have me, obviously,” Ricky says, standing straighter. “And Gyubing too. He’s been asking a lot about you, by the way. He’ll be really happy to know you’re finally here.”

“Ah…” Hao says, a small smile tugging at his lips as he thinks about Ricky’s energetic friend that he’s heard several times over the phone. “Yeah…him too.”

“He’ll probably come by tomorrow,” Ricky says. “He’s been wanting to meet you in person for a while.” 

Hao lets out a soft giggle.  “That would be nice…” Hao says. Ricky’s expression softens at the sound of Hao’s laughter — quiet and tired, but real. It feels like a small victory to Ricky, finally being able to see his cousin relax. He walks to the window to crack it open, letting in fresh air. 

“You should rest for now,” Ricky decides. “I’ll order whatever you want for dinner.” 

Hao nods slightly, slowly sitting down on the edge of the bed and exhaling a breath of relief. Something about the way Ricky has already prepared everything and knows exactly what he needs makes him feel like he’s really allowed to rest properly now. 

“Order some Korean food, it sounds really nice right now,” Hao says softly. Ricky gives Hao a thumbs up and smiles before he leaves Hao alone, gently shutting the door behind him with a soft click. Hao sits on the bed in comfortable silence, running his fingers over the soft fabric of the blankets beneath him. For the first time in what feels like forever, he finally feels secure. Home doesn’t feel so impossible anymore.

With a deep breath, he finally gets up to unpack.

 

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ZH Updates [HIATUS] (@zhnews)

[ANNOUNCEMENT]

Because of the recent news, the admins of ZH Updates have decided to pause all updates related to Zhang Hao. This does not mean we are closing down. Despite YH Entertainment’s announcing his termination, we know how much Hao loves singing and being on stage. He’ll return to ROSINS, like he always did. We’ll be waiting until then. For now, ZH Updates will be on hiatus and archived. Thank you for all your support for the past two years. We hope to see you, and Zhang Hao, soon once again.

Admins 🐝🪷🍀

 

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[instiz] I saw former solo artist Zhang Hao at the airport in Incheon!

“It looks like Zhang Hao was picked up by Ricky, which I think has been said to be his cousin? I wonder why he’s here in Korea. It hasn’t even been two days since his company announced his termination. Do you think he’ll go back to being an artist in Korea?” – OP

 

Comments

  1. I highly doubt he’ll comeback to the stage in Korea. If someone was terminated, they are likely to be blacklisted from the entertainment industry.
  2. Something about his “termination” doesn’t sit well to me. ROSINS knows how much Zhang Hao enjoys the stage and doesn’t like what his company does most of the time. I think there’s more going on that we don’t know.
  3. Some of ya’ll act like he was kicked out for no reason. Companies don’t just drop their artists without cause, and because he was dropped so suddenly, it makes me wonder what clause he broke.
  4. He doesn’t look at all upset in the photos I’ve seen circulating, just really tired. Poor guy looks so drained, he must’ve been through a lot…
  5. I still have his last single on repeat. Just because a company dropped him or “terminated” him doesn’t mean his fans will. Zhang Hao, fighting!!

 

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The sun filters through the curtains as Hao blinks the sleep out of his eyes. He sits up in bed, disoriented for a second as his eyes try to adjust to the morning light. A loud banging comes from outside the room, followed by muffled yelling. 

He assumes Ricky unlocks the door, judging by the thud of the door bursting open before someone shrieks, “Ricky you asshole, you could have told me you were picking him up!” The voice is energetic — a bit unfamiliar, yet distinct. He’s heard the voice before, loud and chaotic over the phone several times. “Now where is he? He isn’t just a figment of my imagination, right?” Hao throws the blanket off and swings his legs over the side of the bed, shuffling to the door of his room as he brushes his fingers through his messy hair. He opens the door to his room and nearly walks right into the source of the yelling, a tall boy just outside his door.

At the sight of each other, the two freeze in place.

Oh my god ,” the taller boy whispers, as if in disbelief. “You’re real.”

Hao blinks, and suddenly his mind clicks as he recognizes the person in front of him, “Kim Gyuvin?” 

Gyuvin almost squeals in happiness as he engulfs Hao in a tight bear hug, catching Hao off guard. “Yes!” Gyuvin says, beaming. “You remembered me!” 

Hao laughs, a bit awkwardly, as his arms instinctively wrap around Gyuvin’s shoulders to give him a hug back. “Of course I do,” Hao replies. “Ricky calls with you almost all the time. It’s hard not to recognize your unique voice. You’re…always loud on the phone.”

“I am not !” Gyuvin whines, pulling away with a pout. At Hao’s raised brow, Gyuvin only huffs, “Fine, maybe I am a little bit. But it’s because I was excited to finally meet you! Our talks were always so short over the phone before Ricky would decide to hang up out of nowhere!”

“It was not ‘ out of nowhere ’,” Ricky refutes from behind them, his arms crossed over his chest as he leans against the wall. “We both had to get back to work, so I would hang up.”

“You could have at least let me say goodbye first,” Gyuvin fires back to Ricky before turning back to Hao. “Anyway, you’re here now, and that means I get to talk to you as much as I want!”

“But that doesn’t mean you get to overwhelm him with your yapping,” Ricky says, pulling on Gyuvin’s hoodie to tug the taller boy back and give Hao some space. “Be patient with him, will you? He just arrived here last night and he’s been having a tough time lately.” 

Gyuvin stumbles a little at Ricky’s tug, but his grin never falters. “I am being patient!” he insists, though he was almost bouncing on the balls of his feet, still brimming with excitement. “Well, I’m trying to, obviously. I’m just too excited to finally meet you, hyung.” 

Hao giggles softly, amusement tugging his mouth into a smile. He hadn't expected his first full day in Korea to start off with this kind of chaotic energy, but somehow, it makes him feel less tense. Gyuvin’s happiness is contagious despite meeting him for the first time, and Hao has already decided that he likes having Gyuvin around.

“You’re fine,” Hao says softly. “It’s nice to finally meet you properly, too.” 

Gyuvin beams at his words, eyes crinkling at the corners. “See?” he exclaims. “He does like me! Hear that Ricky?”

“He said ‘ you’re fine ’,” Ricky mutters dryly, though there’s a slight twitch of a smile on his lips. “That’s completely different than saying ‘ I like you Gyuvin ’.”

“Whatever, it’s only a matter of time,” Gyuvin replies confidently, eyes sparkling. “We’re gonna be great friends, Hao hyung. I can already feel it in my soul!”

Hao chuckles a bit bashfully as he moves to sit on the couch in the living room. “You’re really energetic.”

“You should see him during his dance practice,” Ricky says. “He actually focuses and puts his energy and effort into it.” Hao looks over at Gyuvin in surprise.

“You…dance?” He asks.

Gyuvin looks at him with mock offense, “Do I not look like I dance a lot?” 

Hao blinks, looking Gyuvin up and down. “I mean, you do look like you move around a lot, but I just didn’t…expect dancing,” he admits. 

Gyuvin pouts and looks over at Ricky. “Rick! You never showed him any of our songs?” he huffs, shooting Ricky a betrayed look. 

“He just got here last night!” Ricky argues. “I didn’t think it would be good mentioning anything yet since he just went through a lot. I also just figured you’d throw yourself at him the first chance you got anyway.”

Hao tilts his head, “Wait, songs?” He looks over at Gyuvin. “You’re in…the entertainment industry too?”

“Well obviously,” Gyuvin turns back to Hao with a smug face. “Allow me to properly introduce myself, hyung. I am the one and only Kim Gyuvin, all-rounder heartthrob of BLUE ROZE, the number one boy group—well, going to be the biggest boy group one day.” 

“You’re an idol?” Hao asks, blinking in surprise.

“Yup!” Gyuvin grins, throwing up a peace sign. “Signed under BASEONE Media! You…seem surprised, hyung.”

“Well…I did expect you to be somewhat in the industry since you are Ricky’s best friend…but I hadn’t anticipated that you’d be an idol, to be completely honest…” Hao admits, blushing in embarrassment. “I guess I just didn’t expect it.”

“That I’d be an idol?” Gyuvin asks, tilting his head.

“I mean—not in a bad way, of course,” Hao quickly clarifies. He looks down at his closed hands on his lap. “You’re really cheerful off stage. Back in China, it’s really rare for someone to be like that. I didn't really think idols could still be that way.” 

For a moment, Gyuvin doesn’t respond. Instead he chuckles, flopping on the couch next to Hao. “Honestly hyung, there are some days where I don’t feel as cheerful as I normally am either,” he admits, tone softer now. “It’s not always easy…there’s a lot of pressure to be perfect, to get better faster. And there’s long practices, tight schedules, constant criticism– sometimes it feels like you’re giving everything and not getting anything back in return.” 

Hao hums in agreement, thinking back to his own career in China, how he had experienced the same thing — staying up late at night to practice in the dim practice room trying to perfect a routine, the pressure to get everything right weighing on his shoulders. Even when he felt like he was doing everything right, the choreographers will always nitpick at him, saying something that will always bring him down. Fuckass YH, Hao thinks as he looks over at Gyuvin, “How do you deal with it all, Gyuvin?” 

Gyuvin only smiles, leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling. “I got lucky. I’ve got really great teammates,” Gyuvin explains. “The other BLUE ROZE members are like my second family. We lean on each other when everything gets tough and hype each other up when we need it.” 

Hao hums, listening silently, but his mind starts to drift. Gyuvin is lucky to have other people around him, especially in an industry that is so competitive. For Hao, it was every man for himself — smiling in front of the cameras while hiding knives behind their backs. He hopes Gyuvin, and the rest of his members, never have to experience all that.

Gyuvin nudges at Hao’s gently when he notices Hao’s gaze growing distant. “Hey,” he says, a bit more serious. “Ricky did tell me a little about what happened to you in China. Not everything, obviously, but enough to understand. I can’t imagine how hard it must’ve been for you hyung, especially when you’re alone in it. Your company is a bitch, they just lost something really valuable.” 

Hao giggles and nods. “And… your company. How are they?” he asks, looking back up at Gyuvin. 

The brunette shows him his toothy smile. “They’re really good, actually,” he replies. “Even better than I first expected. They give us a lot of creative freedom compared to the bigger well-known companies. They take care of us really well too. It’s…obviously not completely perfect—they have their own flaws and all—but it just feels right to us.”

Hao smiles back, “Well…I’m glad you’re happy with your idol career, Gyuvin-ah.” Gyuvin sits up straighter with pride, but as he’s about to respond, the chime of a phone notification interrupts their little moment. The two boys look behind them at Ricky, who takes out his phone. His eyes widen as he reads his notification, looking up at the clock that hangs on his wall before huffing.

“Ugh, I completely forgot I have a photoshoot in about 20 minutes,” Ricky mumbles, looking back at Hao. “Hao-ge, would you be okay being alone for a while?” 

Gyuvin’s eyes light up suddenly at the question, as if Ricky had been speaking to him. “Oh! This would be such a great opportunity to introduce my group to you, hyung,” he exclaims, looking at Hao. “I could take you with me to practice and you can meet all of them in person!” 

Ricky frowns slightly, sighing, “Gyuvin, what did I just say earlier? I told you not to overwhelm him.”

“I swear, it’ll be calm, nothing much,” Gyuvin insists. “I can introduce everyone to Hao hyung and he can just watch us practice after, hell, he doesn’t even need to interact with them at all too.” 

Hao blinks, startled by the sudden invitation. “Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude…”

“Yeah!” Gyuvin says, smiling widely. “You can just go sit, eat some of our snacks…you don’t have to do much, hyung, promise . And if you don’t end up liking it, I’ll stop everything and take you home real quick.” 

Hao lets out a small laugh at Gyuvin’s insistence. His stomach feels twisted, half of it from nerves, the other from curiosity. He had been trying to avoid anything that could remind him of his past career and the thought of stepping into a practice room again so soon feels daunting, the sting of his fallen career is still so fresh. But one look at Ricky, who only smiles reassuringly as he patiently waits for Hao’s own decision, the option to go feels less terrifying. 

“How long is it?” Hao asks, keeping his voice steady. 

“No more than an hour and a half tonight,” Gyuvin replies. “I could show you around the company a bit too. It’ll just be me and my group — no cameras around or anything. And you don’t have to stay the whole time either. Just let me know whenever you want to leave.”

Hao nods quietly before he finally lets go of the breath he was holding. “Okay,” he decides. “Just an hour and a half.” 

Gyuvin pumps his fists in the air, as if cheering for a victory. Ricky smiles, relief washing over his face. “I’ll text you later then when I’m finished,” he says. “Call me whenever you need, Hao-ge. And if you really want to go home while Gyuvin is busy practicing, just let me know, I'll pick you up and order dumplings when we get home.” 

Hao smiles and nods, grateful for both of their support. 

“Okay hyung, shoes on,” Gyuvin says, getting up from the couch. “We need to catch the bus before it leaves without us. I’ll show you some of our songs on the way.” 

Hao follows, standing up from the couch and walking to the front door to slip his shoes on. Gyuvin’s yapping never stops once they make it out the door, the younger boy excited to talk about his group and his members.

“We have six members, including me,” Gyuvin explains. “You’ll love them all hyung, I swear! There’s Jiwoong hyung, our eldest member – but don’t be fooled by him, sometimes he creates more chaos than our own maknae, Yujin.” 

Hao titls his head at the unfamiliar term, “Maknae?”

“Oh, it means our youngest member,” Gyuvin says with a small smile.

“Ah,” Hao hums in acknowledgment, smiling slightly. There’s a small pause before he asks, “How old is Jiwoong-ssi?”

“He’s ancient old,” Gyuvin says with a giggle. “He’s the only member born before the 2000s. He’s a ‘98-liner.”

“Oh!” Hao says. “So…he’s older than me. What’s the term you guys use again? ‘Hyung’ right? Jiwoong hyung?” 

Gyuvin smiles, nodding. “And our maknae, Yujinnie, is ‘07.”

Hao gasps. “That’s so young!” 

Gyuvin laughs at Hao’s genuine shock. “Right? But don’t let his baby face trick you, he’s actually really sharp for his age,” Gyuvin says. 

“But still,” Hao remarks. “He’s still in school right? It must be hard to balance both at the same time.”

Gyuvin nods. “I’m sure it is, but he doesn’t really complain. If he needed help, he would always ask whoever was around.”

“Then there’s Matthew hyung, the only foreign member in our group – he’s from Canada,” Gyuvin adds. “He’s super fun and friendly. One look at his smile will make you full of happiness.”

“Ah, so the opposite of me then,” Hao muses lightly. 

Gyuvin shakes his head, “You’re friendly too hyung, you’re just…quieter. It’s not a bad thing though.” 

Hao smiles softly at the reassurance before Gyuvin continues on. “Then there’s also Taerae, our main vocalist. With your background in music hyung, I’m sure you’ll connect with him easily!” 

“He’s also really great at guitar, you should hear him play one day,” Gyuvin says excitedly as the two of them arrive at the bus stop. He pauses, eyes glinting mischievously. “But the one member you should really keep your eye out for is our leader, Hanbin hyung.”

Hao tilts his head, “Why is that?”

“He’s just so good at reading everyone,” Gyuvin says dramatically. “I don’t know if it’s because he majored in Psychology when he was in university, but he’s really good at knowing what people feel just by looking, and being everyone’s safe space. So if he starts picking up on things without you saying anything, don’t be shocked.” 

That makes Hao blink, lips pressing together thoughtfully. He wonders uneasily if Hanbin would be able to see right through his guarded walls, the thought bringing back his anxiety. 

Gyuvin nudges him slightly, “Don’t worry hyung. He’s still the kindest person you’ll ever meet.” 

Hao exhales slowly, nodding. “I’ll take your word for it, Gyuvin-ah,” Hao says quietly. Gyuvin beams, happy with Hao’s response.

“Trust me hyung, when you meet him, you’ll understand,” Gyuvin says. “He makes everyone feel welcomed, no matter what.” Hao stays quiet as Gyuvin goes back to rambling once again, bouncing between funny stories of Jiwoong’s antics, Matthew’s funny accent slip-ups, and Yujin’s mischievous side that gets them all in trouble. Hao listens as Gyuvin smiles softly, pulling out his phone and offering one of his earbuds to Hao to show him clips of their performances and behind-the-scenes videos. Hao watches quietly, a small smile forming on his lips as he watches the chaos unfold on the screen, something that’s different from the tense and suffocating world he once knew. Gyuvin points to each of the members to name them for Hao, and he stores them in his memory for when he finally meets them in person. Watching their performances, any dread he might have felt is replaced with a curious sort of anticipation. 

“Just wait hyung, once you meet the members, you’re probably not gonna want to leave,” Gyuvin jokes, giggling. Hao only smiles weakly, the words unsettling and oddly comforting all at once. For now, he just lets his thoughts slip to the back of his mind. One step at a time , he always reminds himself.

 

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“Oh hyung, you can speak Mandarin right?”

 

“Last time I checked, yes.”

 

“Can you teach me some?”

 

“What exactly do you want to learn?”

 

“How do I introduce myself?”

 

“Hmm… wǒ jiào kuíbīn .”

 

“...huh? Wǒ jiào kuíbīn ?”

 

“Wow, your pronunciation is already great Gyuvin!”

 

“Yeah uhm…usually Ricky helps teach me.”

 

“...what does he teach you?”

 

“Uhhh… cāo nǐ mā ?”

 

“...”

“Never ask him to teach you Mandarin ever again.”

 

“What? He said it means something nice!”

 

“He wants to sabotage you, Gyuvin, don’t trust him when it comes to Mandarin.”

 

“Oh…okay”

“...”

“Hyung, can you type out what you just taught me please?”

 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

 

✉️🐶 (@vintimes)

🐶💬 - 250320 9:30

- I met a new friend today :) 

- I started learning more Mandarin from him

- 我叫奎彬 (tl: hello, i’m Gyuvin)

- That’s what I learned today

- I did good right?

- He’s coming to visit practice with me!!

- Maybe he’ll become a azurose hehe

 

₊˚ ✧ ━━━━⊱⋆⊰━━━━ ✧ ₊˚

Notes:

Notes:
YH Entertainment - Zhang Hao's former company (fuckass company btw)
BASEONE Media - A talent agency known for their first boy group BLUE ROZE as well as housing many other talented artists. Also manages Ricky's schedules.
BLUE ROZE - A rookie k-pop group consisting of six members: Sung Hanbin, Kim Jiwoong, Seok Matthew, Kim Taerae, Kim Gyuvin, and Han Yujin
azurose - BLUE ROZE's fandom name